A Beginner's Guide to THE OMNISCIENCE

I'm mostly posting this so when I write fanfiction for my own original work on Runaway Tales I can link back here and people will know what I'm talking about. Oh, and also so I can give all my lovely blog readers another taste of my novel-in-progress. Enjoy!

A Beginner's Guide to THE OMNISCIENCE

It
isn't a dystopia.No, I'm serious. It's a YA
sci-fi novelwith a slightly steampunk feel—the
only real dystopic element is the idea of a machine making people's
decisions. The fact that it's not a dystopia is actually a major
plot point.

The
basic premise is this: At the age
of eighteen, every citizen is obligated to be tested and analyzed for
a week by a Machine known as the
Omniscience, or the
Omni for short. The Omni
determines one's occupation, social class, probable income, and even
location. It is an essential ingredient for a functioning society.
But when the Machine suddenly shuts
down with hundreds of
teenagers inside, what was built as a tool to ensure happiness
becomes an implement of everyone's worst nightmares. The
Omni is intent on destroying itself and everyone inside,
and there are only a few brave teenagers who can survive long enough
to save it—which would be...

Our
protagonist, an 18-year-old girl named Lilah
Ellerby. She's on the shyer (or at least more
introverted) side, although she excels at analyzing and empathizing
with people. She's also distrusted the Omni ever since her sister
disappeared inside of it two years ago.

Our
deuteragonist, Becca Pond, 18
years old. A brilliant mechanic, Becca is one of those people who
just exude confidence and skill, but she is actually very insecure
and volatile under the surface. Absolutely adores her boyfriend
Mark, almost to the point of obsession.

Mark
Russett, Becca's boyfriend, also 18. He is stable, stoic,
and calm—almost the polar opposite of Becca. Mark is also the
nephew of the Minister of Mechanics, Ian Owon, whom he really
respects and wants to please.

There
also happen to be people living inside of the Omni: teens and
former teens reported as having “disappeared” when, in actuality,
they've been recruited by their mysterious leader, “the Boss,”
to help in securing the destruction of the Omni.
Whether they actually believe in this goal or just can't figure out
how to escape the Machine is questionable. These include:

Anna
Ellerby,
Lilah's sister, 20 years old, who is sure her family thinks she's
dead. Kind and caring, but don't underestimate her: she's excellent
at asserting herself and persuading people to think rationally—a
must-have in a camp run by a possible lunatic.

William
Golding,
19 years old and named after the author of Lord
of the Flies.
Often acts like a psychopath in order to protect himself and his
friends from suspicion as he leads the rebellion against the
rebellion. Carries around the “Shovel of Death.” (NaNoWriMo
inside joke.)

Monika
Holmes,
19... whose character is still being formed. All I know is that
she's an excellent fighter and vaguely knew Becca and Mark before
the beginning of the story. Sorry. Come back later for more details.

And
that's about it, without delving into the details of the plot—I
hope to get this published someday, so I don't want to accidentally
give away spoilers. Also, this
was written for National Novel-Writing Month 2011 (won,
by the way!), so I'm currently revising it to make it make sense.